Torpedo retrieving device



Oct. 19, 1965 KERSHAW T 3,212,469

TORPEDO RETRIEVING DEVI CE Filed Feb. 1'7. 1964 R. E. KERSHAW C. H. FITZGERALD E UL RICH INVENTORS A T TORNE Y5 United States Patent 3,212,469 TORPEDO RETRIEVING DEVICE Robert E. Kershaw, Clinton H. Fitzgerald, and Edgar Ulrich, State College, Pa., assignors, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Feb. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 345,542 3 Claims. (Cl. 114-40) This invention relates to retrieving devices and in particular to retrieving devices adapted for use upon highly polished bodies.

The retrieving of experimental marine torpedoes or other missiles after an ocean test run was once a very simple matter when they were equipped with nose rings or other hooking devices to which a line could be easily attached. Even when nose rings disappeared because of design modifications, a recessed joint after the nose was present on most torpedoes which could accommodate a conserting dog upon a retrieving cage. Now, however, because of advanced speeds, the torpedo and missile art has developed to the point that high polished surfaces are used and no protrusions or indentations of any kind are allowable.

The problem of open water retrieval of such vehicles is made even more difficult in the case of acoustical marine torpedoes. In that in addition to a polished surface, the nose section contains highly delicate acoustical transducer apparatus which can be easily damaged by rough handling. Such torpedoes float on the surface of the water after the test run and must be retrieved. This is usually done by bringing a small boat or raft alongside of the torpedo, attaching a retrieving mechanism and towing the torpedo by means of this mechanism to a ramp on the retrieving vessel. Since such torpedoes may weight upward to four thousands pounds and be over twenty feet long, the problem of attaching to and delicately handling such a cumbersome and highly polished body can be easily recognized particularly when such a vehicle is floating in a fairly rough sea. This invention overcomes these difliculties by providing a light, easily maneuverable retrieving device which will securely clamp and not mar the smooth finishes of heavy torpedoes. The device is efficient, compact, simple and easily operable by one man under adverse water retrieving conditions.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a clamping device which will securely clamp but not mar smooth finishes of a missile to be retrieved.

It is another object of this invention to provide a re trieving device which will protect the delicately instrumented section of a marine torpedo during retrieval.

It is another object of this invention to provide a retrieving device which is light, easily maneuverable, and operable by one man under adverse sea conditions.

These and other features of the invention together with their advantages, will be more readily understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of the embodiment thereof selected for the purposes of illustration, and shown in the accompanying drawings in which the figure is a perspective view of the retrieving device positioned on an acoustical controlled marine torpedo, shown in phantom view.

Referring now to the figure, represents an acoustical marine torpedo having an acoustically instrumented nose 14. The retrieving device positioned upon the forward end of torpedo 10 is comprised of clamping band 16, extending around the circumference of torpedo 10, attached straps 18 extending to and attached to transducer pro tection plate 20 which covers the delicate acoustic transducer [not shown] positioned within the nose 14. Longitudinally disposed gussets 22 are welded to the protector plate 20 and mounting plate 24. U-shaped retrieving ring Patented Oct. 19, 1965 26 is secured to the plate 25 by means of nuts 28. The straps 18 made of a strong flexible material such as nylon, are attached to clamping band 16 by means of rivets 30 and to transducer protector plate 20 by screws 32.

Clamping band 16 is longitudinally separated leaving end portions 15 and 17. This separator enlarges its diameter and allows it to be slipped over torpedo 10 with ease.

The interior portion of clamping band 16 is coated with a soft compound such as cork 40 to prevent scratching of the polished surface of torpedo 10. Likewise, the interior surface of transducer protector plate 20 is coated with a rubber compound [not shown] to prevent the nose 14 from being scratched.

Stays 34 are screwed to protector plate 20 and extend longitudinally along the outer surface of each strap 18 to clamping band 16. Stay 34 is longitudinally movable along strap 18 and is attached to clamping band 16 by means of a loose rivet 30 passing through slot 36 of the stay. In this way stays 34 maintain the shape of the retrieving device but do not bear any stress. Stays 34 are maintained in place upon strap 18 by enclosing cover 38 riveted and sewn to strap 18.

The hydraulic actuating system of the retrieving device .is comprised of a hydraulic accumulator 42 positioned through an opening in a gusset 22. This accumulator is of the usual commercial available type containing a hydraulic fluid, such as oil, kept under high pressure by a compressed gas, such as nitrogen. In practice a compressed gas system may be substituted for the described hydraulic system.

A needle valve 46 attached to the accumulator 42 is coupled to hydraulic hose 48 which leads to the clamping mechanism on clamping band 16. Hose 48 is connected to check valve 50 which is in communication with the interior of hydraulic cylinder 52. Bleed cap 54 also connected to the interior of cylinder 52 allows: hydraulic pressure to be bled from cylinder 52 when the cap 54 is unseated or removed.

Check valve 50 is a one-way valve which will allow hydraulic fluid to flow into cylinder 52 which will prevent the escape of fluid. Cylinder 52 is pivotally mounted upon clamping band gussets 56 by means of spindle bolt 58. Thus cylinder 52 is free to rotat about spindle bolt 58. Clamping band gussets 56 are welded to the end portion 15 of clamping band 16, and extend radially outward therefrom.

Within cylinder 52 is contained a piston [not shown] to which is attached piston shaft 60 which extends and is attached to rotatable member 62. Member 62 is pivotal-1y attached to clamping band gussets 64 by means of spindle bolt 66 which passes through bolt gussets 64 and member 62. Gussets 64 are welded to end portion 17 of clamping band 16 and extend radially outward therefrom. Thus it may be seen both cylinder 52 and rotatable member 62 are free to turn or rotate when the end portions 15 and 17 of clamping band 16 are drawn together.

In operation, the retrieving device is slipped over the nose portion of the torpedo 10 so that clamping band 16 extends circumferentially around the torpedo and the transducer protector plate 20 is flush against the nose 14. Needle valve 46 is then opened allowing highly pressurized hydraulic fluid to flow from accumulator 42 through hose 48, check valve 50, and into the interior of cylinder 52. This hydraulic pressure will force the enclosed piston [not shown] within cylinder 52 away from end portion 15 drawing piston shaft 60 with it. Hence, th end portions 15 and 17 of clamping band 16 are thus drawn together. Clamping band 16 than transmits equal radial pressure about the circumference of torpedo 10 holding it securely. Check valve 50 prevents the backward flow of hydraulic fluid from cylinder 52, thus if the hydraulic pressure in hose 14 or accumulator 42 should drop, the pressure would remain in cylinder 52 unchanged. With the retrieving devic securely clamped to the torpedo, a line may be then attached to retrieving ring 26 and the torpedo drawn aboard the retrieving vessel [not shown]. Once on board, the retrieving device may be released by closing needle valve 46 to prevent high pressure hydraulic fluid from flowing into cylinder 52 and opening bleed cap 54. The opening of bleeder cap 54 will release hydraulic fluid under pressure from Within cylinder 52 thus allowing the enclosed piston [not shown] and attached piston shaft 60 to move out, separating end portions 15 and 17 :of ban-d 16. The retrieving device may then be removed from the torpedo.

It should be further observed that particular embodiment of this invention describes its use on a cylindrical body, namely torpedo 10, that it is also within the contemplation of this invention that other shaped bodies such as triangular, square, hexagonal, etc. may be retrieved as well.

While the present invention has been described in its preferred embodiment, it is realized that modification may be made and it is desired that it be understood that no limitation on the invention is intended other than may be imposed by the scope of the depended claims.

Having now disclosed the invention, what is claimed as new 1s:

1. A handling apparatus for use with a torpedo having a cylindrical nose portion with a transducer disposed at its forward end, comprising:

(a) a circular lifting plate shaped to fit and engage the forward end of the torpedo and protect the transducer,

(b) a plurality of angularly spaced flexible bands extending longitudinally of the nose portion having their forward ends secured to the periphery of said plate and their rear ends secured to a clamping band,

() said clamping band being disposed circumferentially around said nose portion and having spaced ends adapted to be moved toward each other for collapsing the band into tight engagement with the nose portion,

(d) a piston type hydraulic actuator disposed between and connecting said ends for collapsing the band,

(e) a supply of liquid under pressure secured to said plate,

(f) a conduit for delivering liquid from said supply to said actuator, including a manually closeable valve, and

g) means secured to said plate to which hoisting apparatus may be secured for applying a lifting force directly to said plate, the lifting force thence being transferred from the periphery of said plate to the forward ends of said bands.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including:

(h) a check valve for preventing flow of liquid from said actuator after the band has been clamped on the torpedo, and

(i) a manually operable bleed valve connected to said actuator for bleeding liquid from same, whereby the band may be expanded and released from engagement with the torpedo.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said flexible bands lack suflicient rigidity to maintain said plate and clamping band in definite spaced relationship when the apparatus is removed from a torpedo, and

(j) a strap-like stay member secured to each flexible band and extending longitudinally between its 0pposite ends for adding sufficient rigidity to it to maintain said plate member and clamping band in substantially definite spaced relationship.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/50 Rhoads 294-88 X 12/53 Lauro 294-88 X SAMUEL W. ENGLE, BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT,

Examiners. 

1. A HANDLING APPARATUS FOR USE WITH A TORPEDO HAVING A CYLINDRICAL NOSE PORTION WITH A TRANSDUCER DISPOSED AT ITS FORWARD END, COMPRISING: (A) A CIRCULAR LIFTING PLATE SHAPED TO FIT AND ENGAGE THE FORWARD END OF THE TORPEDO AND PROTECT THE TRANSDUCER, (B) A PLURALITY OF ANGULARLY SPACED FLEXIBLE BANDS EXTENDING LONGTIDINALLY OF THE NOSE PORTION HAVING THEIR FORWARD ENDS SECURED TO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID PLATE AND THEIR REAR ENDS SECURED TO A CLAMPING BAND, (C) SAID CLAMPING BAND BEING DISPOSED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY AROUND SAID NOSE PORTION AND HAVING SPACED ENDS ADAPTED TO BE MOVED TOWARD EACH OTHER FOR COLLAPSING THE BAND INTO TIGHT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE NOSE PORTION, (D) A PISTON TYPE HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR DISPOSED BETWEEN AND CONNECTING SAID ENDS FOR CALLAPSING THE BAND, (E) A SUPPLY OF LIQUID UNDER PRESSURE SECURED TO SAID PLATE, (F) A CONDUIT FOR DELIVERING LIQUID FROM SAID SUPPLY TO SAID ACTUATOR, INCLUDING A MANUALLY CLOSEABLE VALVE, AND (G) MEANS SECURED TO SAID PLATE TO WHICH HOISTING APPARATUS MAY BE SECURED FOR APPLYING A LIFTING FORCE DIRECTLY TO SAID PLATE, THE LIFTING FORCE THENCE BEING TRANSFERRED FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID PLATE TO THE FORWARD ENDS OF SAID BANDS. 